Sugar tax could cut soft drink consumption by 15pc: Grattan Institute

A tax on sugar could cut soft drink consumption by 15 per cent and raise $500 million for the budget, recently released economic modelling shows. Key points: Obesity costs taxpayers $5.3 billion annually, one in three Australians classed as obese A tax of 40 cents per 100 grams of sugar would lift the price of a two-litre bottle by about 80 cents Taxing soft drinks has shown to help cut rising obesity The Grattan Institute has recommended a sugar sweetened beverage tax to address obesity rates, which have climbed in recent decades. It has calculated obesity costs taxpayers $5.3…